Heart Implant
by Memoryloss
Summary: One heart is artificial, controlled by the one who saved his life. The other heart is made of pure flesh, beating with life and controlled by his own will. One yearns to be saved, the other yearns to save. TykiKanda and LaviYu.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

The small town of Blackfrost was not the most beautiful place in the world, nor in the country of Aurodea. It's buildings, setting and architecture were not as modern and glamourous as the ones in the bigger cities like Miselle and Camidos,and that little town was almost like an ancient relic; it had retained plenty of tradition which had existed in its heart for about 2000 years already. Some of the city people even called Blackfrost a "run-down".

Now, in the heart of Blackfrost existed a private University which had been around for about 500 years. It was an ancient, yes - one which was rich in tradition, history and knowledge. It was the best school in the whole town, and everyone who wanted to be somebody would never dream of putting himself into another school other than this one.

Holstone Academy, the jewel of knowledge. The glimmer of light in the dark.

This private Academy was managed by the Millenium Earl and his family. The Earl, who was the Academy Head plus a well-known candy merchant, always wore a certain slightly annoying yet funny look on his face whenever he stepped into the school. It was as if the Academy was his playground, an amusement park which amused him to no end. And yes, no one dared to cross his boundaries. Even if they had the guts and determination to, they still had to counter another person. A certain Portugese man called Tyki Mikk, who possessed a rather suave yet sly looking face. The young man was the Head of the University Department, and had almost as much power as the Earl himself. With the two important figures running the Academy, it was no wonder that almost all went well and no in-school rebellions were staged publicly.

Holstone, though brilliant in a way, was also quite tainted in a sense. There were many "black holes" and mysteries about certain things related to the Academy, and plots and schemes. No one dared to question it out loud, or churn up any great action which would cause a great stir. It would be like calling death to one's doorstep. After all, with the Earl as a power-figure and Tyki the second knight, who would dare to challenge them?

As for Lavi, as smart as he was, he never did understand why things in Holstone Academy were the way they were. He never understood why certain things had to be done, or could never be done or said. That was all before he had officially started lessons at Holstone.

And he was about to realize why things were so warped up and crazy.

* * *

"All University Freshmen, please report to the Main Hall right now. I repeat, all University Freshmen, please report to the Main Hall right now." The speaker boomed as bunches of students hurriedly filed into the large, grand room situated in the middle of the Main-block building. Lots of chatter echoed throughout the room as everyone tried to settle down comfortably and in an orderly manner. Student leaders holding signboards and direction cards whisked through the crowd as they tried their best to keep the situation in control. Once the crowd was silent and the teachers and guests had taken their seats, the oak doors of the Main Hall then closed and locked themselves up promptly.

January 2nd, the start of school. For a large majority of students, including a certain carrot-top who was late for school. He ran quickly across the lush green lawns of the school compound and frantically began to search for the designated meeting place. The school was like a maze; even with his high IQ he wasn't able to find out where he was supposed to go. All he could do was run around aimlessly (quite), hoping for a streak of luck to hit him.

Lavi, the adopted pupil of the Town's wiseman, Bookman. He was an extremely smart youth who had managed to get himself into Holstone. Of course, that was to be expected of one who had been reading books all day long since the day he had discovered that he was living amongst thousands of books belonging to Bookman. And today, he was late because he had stayed up all night to read a novel.

Now, he was lost.

The youth banged his fists on a nearby door in exasperation. 15 minutes had passed, and Lavi felt sure that the Entrance Ceremony must have started already. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he slumped down on the stone floor, feeling quite beat. He leaned his head on the wall and stared blankly at the white pillar in front of him.

"If only I had slept earlier yesterday night," he muttered, regretting his own actions. It wasn't even Friday the 13th; why was he so unlucky today? It was only the start of school, surely things weren't going to get that bad. The cool breeze which blew past him didn't seem to help things ...

Suddenly out of nowhere, a pair of dark, cold eyes eyed Lavi, giving him quite a shock. Those dark pupils seemed to penetrate through his flesh, and Lavi felt quite uncomfortable with them piercing him thoroughly. He jumped as a figure advanced onto him with folded arms. Obviously, something was up.

Lavi stared at the figure, who turned out to be a boy wearing a thick, black coat with a wide belt. Those shiny black buttons made the coat stand out somehow, and in turn, made the boy stand out even more. That long, thick black hair was tied up neatly into a high ponytail with a simple red cord. Certainly, that boy had left quite an impression on him. Even though those cold eyes didn't seem agree with Lavi very much.

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked in a demanding tone. To a bystander, it would seem that Lavi was somewhat like a dirty stray who had left mudprints all over his brand-new carpet. Lavi winced a little, and stood up quickly.

"I...kinda got lost. I can't seem to find the Main Hall, no matter where I go - " he answered sheepishly, scratching his head. The other boy stared at him with distaste, and gave a small "che".

"...This year's freshmen are kinda stupid, aren't they?" he said, sounding slightly amused, "here's one that can't even get to the _Main Hall." _

The redhead's face fell upon hearing the remark.

"Come on, I just couldn't find the signboards - "

"It's right behind you, dumbass," said the expressionless boy calmly, "if you had any brains to observe what was written above you, you would have gotten to the Main Hall much earlier."

A lightbulb flickered inside Lavi as he jumped up and turned around to face the wall, only to find a small, rusty sign with a three Italic letters carved onto it. The carving was quite thin and attacked viciously with rust, but other than that, everything looked rather okay, considering that Holstone had a quite a long history, including it's buildings. Lavi's jaw dropped as he saw what was written on the metal plate.

_**The Main Hall**_

"You - you can't be serious - "

"Why should I be serious over such a trivial matter?" asked the boy tonelessly, turning to walk away, "anyway, if you don't hurry up and go in, you'll miss the whole ceremony."

For a second, Lavi was speechless, until he realized that the boy wasn't going into the Hall with him. He turned around to say something, but the boy was gone. He had disappeared completely, as if he was a cloud of smoke which had dissipated into thin air. Lavi stared at the empty corridor for a moment, then knocked on the door, only to be answered by two student leaders who ushered him to a nearby bench.

"You're rather lucky, if the University Head had arrived, we wouldn't open the doors for you," they chorused, words drowned by the deafening chatter echoeing throughout the whole hall. Lavi heaved a sigh of relief, put down his bag, reached for his novel book and started reading from where he had stopped the night before. Mediella Colby's _Journey Through Time._

He could not help wondering about who the mysterious, rude boy was. Such dark pearls embedded in his eyes, which made such an impact on him. In fact, Lavi was confident enough to say that the boy would have made some kind of impact everywhere he went. But that straight-cut fringe shadowed those eyes - Nevertheless, whether it was the way he dressed, the way he tied his hair, or the way those eyes announced themselves as a menacing twin-brother band, the boy had left Lavi with such a memorable impression that even when he was reading his novel, he was constantly distracted.

Why was this so, thought Lavi as turned the page thoughtfully. The boy wasn't chatty, nor loud and attention-seeking. He wasn't dressed in attractive, bright colours, or had some kind of outstanding hairstyle, like a frizzy outburst made possible with oodles of gel and hair wax. What was more, the guy hadn't been very polite, and that had been their first meeting.

Maybe it was those shiny black buttons on the coat. Or maybe, it was because that boy was the first person he had ever spoken to in Holstone Academy. Whatever it was, Lavi just could not stop the thoughts from coming. The thoughts weren't completely stoppable, though the effect was reduced after he had read four pages of his book. It lingered there, in some part of Lavi's brain, and stayed there.

* * *

A long-haired youth walked silently along the corridors until he reached a room with luxurious wooden doors. He knocked on it twice, and waited for a familiar voice to respond.

"Come on in."

Pushing the doors open, the boy walked in steadily, past elegant pastel portraits and calligraphy scrolls, as well as well-polished furniture and several jade antiques, before he came face to face with Tyki Mikk, the University Head. The latter was having a good smoke with his beloved cigars, and was busy writing a long draft report with an expensive fountain-pen. As soon as he saw the visitor, his lips curved into a smile and he blew out a thick cloud of white smoke from his mouth in a rather fashionable way.

"Have you come to visit me?"

The boy retained his expressionless look. "The ceremony is going well," he answered solemnly, "everyone is waiting for you, Mr Mikk. To make your grand appearance."

Tyki laughed softly as he put down his cigar onto the glass tray on his right. "You don't have to be so formal, my boy. After all, we aren't strangers, are we? You could do without the sarcasm, really."

"It's still school hours, Mr Mikk."

"So? There are only two people in this room at the moment - you, and me."

"I'm afraid you must leave now, or the staff will complain. So will the students."

At this point, Tyki got up from his chair, composed and relaxed. He walked over to his visitor with silent steps and stopped once he was right in front of the boy.

"I said, you don't need to get so formal. There's no need to draw such a distinct line between us, no? After all, we share a special bond which each other."

"... ... There's no bond between us," came the reply, cold and sharp.

"Oh, yes there is," replied Tyki confidently, "you know it yourself. And, my boy," the Portuguese man reached out and touched the younger boy's lip lightly, "You should really learn to smile more. I haven't seen you smile for quite a long time..."

The boy cringed and stepped back abruptly in response. "You should go now or you'll have nowhere to look when everyone starts talking about your tardiness as a University Head," he spat.

Tyki laughed. "Now, that's the real you, isn't it? Such a rude brat...you never change, do you? Relax, I'll get there as soon as possible. But I do see a need to settle something else more important than the ceremony ... first. " His right hand began to glow with a violet light, and he placed that very hand on the boy's heart. The latter, taken by surprise, seemed to want to retreat quickly, but could not do so.

"...why did you not come to me earlier? Your life power is draining out. There's only 10% left in your storage inventory. You know it yourself, how life threatening this situation is."

"... ..."

"Or do you not care about your life at all?"

"... ..."

"Look here, you are too precious an existence to die, for a few reasons. You are needed here. Which means, you need to recharge. Now."

"No will do - "

_**"Now."**_ Tyki emphasised his point clear and thorough. He looked solemn now, compared to his relaxed look he had worn a few moments ago. The boy was obviously shaken, but did not move or show any sign of weakness. Finally, he turned to leave in an act of defiance, but was caught forcefully by the arm by Tyki, and dragged off to a small room with a few machines and plugs and wire pads. Tyki grabbed a blue and white wire pad and connected it to a machine, then unbuttoned the bewildered boy's coat and crisp white shirt, revealing a large, spreading tattoo on his chest. He placed the wire pad on the tattoo and turned on the switch of the machine. A power current of some sort flowed through the wire and started its recharging business.

"Stay here until you are fully charged, or you will suffer the consequences of leaving the machine too early. I need to go to the Main Hall now, so I can't recharge your inventory myself. Tease will make sure you comply." A small violet butterfly flew out from his pocket and hovered in the air.

_"You - " _

"You stay here until you are fully charged, or Tease will bite you," said Tyki as he turned to go out of the room. He fixed his coat and necktie, smiled once again before he shut the door.

"...It's all for your own good, Kanda."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Holstone Academy was different from other Academies and Private Insituitions in the vicinity in more ways than one. Besides being the top elite Academy, it had a completely different school system and structure. Though this only applied for the University Department.

The University campus was split into two parts - the study block for the "Pearls", namely the scholars with a high level of intelligence and supposed potential, and the study block for the "Sand Grains", who were the students who were more artistically-inclined or did not have so high an intelligence compared to the "Pearls". They were not very good in academic work, but when it came to visual arts, they were in fact so much better than the "Pearls". Still, the "Sand grains" were dubbed as retards and no-brainers by most teachers and students. In fact, most teachers were biased against the "Sand grains". Even though the classrooms and facilties on both sides were more or less aboout the same, the discrimination was still there. Hovering over the lives of every Holstone student and staff member.

Why was the discrimination there? After all, pearls could be formed from sand grains. If anyone could be bothered to even take their time to_ cultivate _a pearl from a grain of sand, they would still get a pearl. Not a natural pearl, but it would still be a pearl. Similarly, a person with low intelligence or with absolutely no outstanding talent could be nurtured into one with extraordinary brilliance.

At least, that was what Kanda Yuu thought. Nineteen years old, expressionless, easily irritable. He himself was a "Sand grain", and he did not like the fact that people actually despised him because of his intelligence level. Or rather,_ low _intelligence level, to be precise. Sure, he was a a dud when it came to numbers and figures and facts. But that didn't mean that he sucked, or was a failure or a retard. After all, he thought, chemists and biologists discovered things through constant observations and debating, naming facts and figures after themselves, memorising concepts and coming up with funny things out of nowhere and then proving themselves wrong again half a year later. It was not using the mind to the fullest; after all, the mind needed to be tested and explored; it was so vast! The body needed to relax and be free, not cooped up in a small lab! He just could not understand it.

He had finished his battery recharge, and bit his lip as Tease finally allowed him to open the door. Silently, he walked out of the empty office, picked up his bag from the doorway and left for the Arts Building.

* * *

Four and a half hours had passed since the Entrance Ceremony. And Lavi was stuck - yet again. He was originally on his way to the Lecture Theatre for his History course, but had been so engrossed with reading his precious novel that he had walked all the way to the Arts Building. Now, he had to walk back to the Science Building, which was one whole building away from his current position. He cursed silently for his stupidity and walked briskly towards his intended destination. The hallways were empty, save for himself; everyone must have gone to class already. He took several quick steps towards a row of lockers, then started running. Sighting the exit, he dashed towards it, grabbed the doorknob and opened the wooden door -

_BANG!_

The redhead collided into something and fell onto the floor. His novel hit the floor with a thud and stayed there, unmoving. Rubbing his head in pain, he looked up weakly to see what, or who he hit. His heart stopped for a moment in surprise as he saw the boy he had seen earlier in the morning. But this time, the boy was fuming, and Lavi could almost feel heat radiating from him. Wiping his bruised cheek, the boy clenched his fist.

"What was that for, you idiot?" he spat. eyes glowing with fury.

Lavi grew anxious. The situation did not look good at all. "Um - um, I'm sorry, I was simply in a rush to get to my classroom venue -"

"Che," the other party crossed his arms, "So that's why I said, this year's freshmen indeed are nothing but a bunch of _plain retards." _

Lavi felt insulted, but he felt that it was best not to mutter any profanities in order to save his soul. This person did not seem very friendly, anyway. Plus, who would be friendly when hit headfirst by some random guy? "Aren't you afreshmantoo?" he asked, "if so, you'd be calling yourself _a retard _as well - "

The boy, at this point, seemed to have realized what he had just said was actually bad for him. His face grew slightly red with embarassment. "S-stupid rabbit! So what if I am a freshman? G-get out of my way!" With that, he shoved Lavi aside forcefully and stormed down the hallway. Lavi felt amused by this reaction.

"Such a funny person," he thought aloud as a small smirk crossed his face. He watched the boy turn left, then turned to exit the building, but felt something under his shoe. He lifted his foot up, only to discover a small leather-bound book lying on the floor. Curiously, the redhead picked it up and opened it slowly. It was filled with funny scribbles and weird names and instructions which Lavi had never seen before. It seemed like a recipe codebook of some sort, he thought, and turned to the very first page of the book to see if its owner's name was written on it. Indeed, there was a name written in glittery blue ink on the fresh white page.

_Kanda Yuu _

"...Could it have been..." Lavi thought of the boy whom he had just collided into. It had to be his; Lavi did not recall seeing anything on the floor when he was running towards the door. He turned around to look for the boy, but the latter had already disappeared. Geez, how was he going to return the book to its rightful owner now? To make matters worse, the bell rang twice, signalling the end of one period. Lavi gasped, he was so dead. He had just missed one lesson of History!

"Damn overly-large campuses," he mumbled as he picked up his novel and ran off to the Science Building. The leather-bound book was stuffed into his pocket and temporarily forgotten about.

* * *

"Lavi, you were really late today. The teacher was quite upset," said Lenalee Lee as she put down her cup of orange juice onto the cafeteria table. The ice cubes clanked noisily in the cup as she did so. "He was complaining about a certain redhead in his history class who was as tardy as a goat?..."

"..What the hell, what has tardiness have to do with an innocent _goat?!" _

"I don't know. Maybe that's the reason why he isn't an English teacher. The whole class would've failed under him."

"..."

"So you lost your way again? Seriously, you shouldn't read books while you walk. It's bad for your eyes."

"Like I said, I walked all the way to the Arts Building!" said Lavi, slurping his noodles. "And I collided into some grumpy guy who was just plain amusing."

"Amusing?" Lenalee cocked her head to one side. She was another local scholar who had come to know Lavi during the entrance ceremony. She had nice bright eyes and a friendly smile, two of the many things Lavi liked about her. Today, they had agreed to eat lunch together in the school cafeteria, which was now clustered with packs of students queuing up to buy food, both from the Arts and Science divisions.

"Yeah. He said that this year's freshmen were all retards, when he was a freshman himself," said Lavi, "and ya know, his reaction to my answer was just so ... funny." With that, Lavi tried to resist a giggle.

"...is it that funny?" Lenalee asked awkwardly.

"Yeah," answered Lavi, "he was really like - Oh crap! You know, that kind of look - "

"I know, I know. Oh yes, why did you choose to study History? I mean, isn't it kind of boring in a sense?"

"Nah, it's kind of interesting. Besides, my gramps wants me to take this course. He was a historian when he was young."

Lenalee frowned. "I'd rather take Chemistry, seriously. Come on, admit it - isomers and integrated rate law and network atomic solids are awesomely great. I could just devote my whole life to learning more about Thermodynamics and nuclear fission. "

Lavi nearly choked on his food. "Please, Lena! We're eating, not taking a test. You could stop rattling about those Thermo - thermody - "

"It's _Thermodynamics_," finished Lenalee, "the study of heat."

"Learning about the History of Rocknold Castle and the Battle of Marion Highway would be more suitable for me, thank you very much," said Lavi, holding up his hand in a defeated way. He was obviously bewildered by Lenalee's sudden outburst of chemistry terms.

"Okay, okay. I won't scare you anymore," said Lenalee, sticking out her tongue playfully, "anyway, I'm going to look for my friend in the Arts Building after I'm done eating, do you want to come along with me?"

Lavi thought for a second. "I have to go there too," he answered, remembering the leather-bound notebook he had found on the floor, "to return something to someone. Though I don't know which class that person is in..."

"It should be quite easy to find him if you know which department he is in or which course he is taking," said Lenalee, finishing her last mouthful of food, "is it the Music department? Cos' my friend is in there. He might know the person you are looking for."

"Nah, that guy doesn't look like the kind who'd take up music. I guess I'll try my luck once I'm there," Lavi decided finally. With that, he and Lenalee returned their trays to the counter, walked down the spiral staircase and made their way towards the Arts Building.

Now, the Arts Building was bustling with activity. Students were chatting and running around, hurling paper planes around and whistling happy-go-lucky kinds of tunes. Lavi could not fully describe this atmosphere, but it was clearly different from the one back in the Science Building. Back there, everyone was more or less quieter and less rowdy. Most students even had thick encyclopedias or reference books in their hands. But in this place, it seemed like it was a playground for the students!

Suddenly, Lenalee stretched out her hand and waved quickly. "Allen!" she exclaimed as a white-haired teenager came running towards her. He was carrying a file full of music scores and theory papers. He was shorter than Lavi, and looked as friendly as Lenalee herself. Oh well, birds of a feather flock together, thought Lavi.

"Lenalee! I'm really sorry that I could not have lunch with you today... the teacher wanted to hear me play _the Drunkard's Parade _for him again and again and _again_..." the boy heaved a sigh of relief, "but its finally over. OVER!"

"Geez, Allen. You should eat something; you are obviously shaken from hunger," said Lenalee, handing him a cheese sandwich, which he took gratefully from her.

"Thanks, Lena. Of course I would be hungry; that crazy man made me play the same song fifty-seven times in a row!" Allen paused to take a bite out of the sandwich, then noticed Lavi standing beside Lenalee, "Hmmm? Who is this?..."

"He's Lavi. I met him during today's Entrance Ceremony...which you missed because you lost your music scores along the corridors," Lenalee said sarcastically.

Allen's rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Lena...anyway, nice to meet you, Lavi. The name's Allen Walker."

"I'm Lavi," replied the redhead, giving Allen a warm handshake, "oh, by the way, is there anyone in your class called Kanda Yuu?... Someone with, um, long dark hair tied up in a ponytail, and this unmistakeable pissy kind of look - "

Allen's eyes gleamed with murderous intent. "Oh, you mean that_ irritant _from the Dance department? Gosh, what business do you have with him? Today during classical practice, he came into our classroom and kicked my friend for borrowing a CD player without permission."

"I guess that's him then," said Lavi, smiling weakly.

"You look like a good person; I'd advise you to stay away from him. After all, this year's dance department freshmen aren't too well-behaved."

"I thought dance was supposed to be graceful, like a swan," said Lavi.

"Well, if they were swans, I'd be an angel by now," remarked Allen exasperatedly, "anyway, if you really do want to look for that idiot, go to the dance theatre further down the hallway. I think they're still practicing their dance routine..."

Lavi nodded and said a word of thanks, then left Lenalee and Allen and walked down the corridor by himself, weaving in and out of the crowd. To think that such a _rude _person would be actually involved in such a graceful, elegant activity called dance - the world was really a funny place. He walked on and on, and finally found a door with a metal plate which said "Dance Theatre". From a small glass panel on the door, he could see the dance instructor giving her instructions to her students for the last practice before lunch break. Once she had completed her task, the students dispersed quickly and took their positions. The CD player was then turned on.

The redhead watched in awe at the synchronization of the dancers and their swift yet flexible moves. It wasn't ballet or anything sweet and elegant - this was contemporary dance. Some mixed up, abstract form of art. The dancers kicked their legs up high into the air and brought it down in a flash, then did quick turns and mini-punches. Their fingers slowed down at moments, and at other times they stiffened and drew back quickly. Lavi had to admit that though the dance was not the best dance he had ever seen, the dancers were fully concentrating on their moves and quite enjoying themselves. They kept on and on, until the pulsing beat of the rhythm died down.

As soon as the students were dismissed and the door was opened, Lavi began to search for a familiar rude guy he knew - he had been engrossed in watching the dance that he had forgotten his purpose for coming to the dance theatre. He made his way into the room slowly, scanning around for Kanda. He finally spotted the boy sitting in a corner with his bag, wiping his neck with a towel, and went over to him.

Kanda did not seem very happy to see him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, giving Lavi a death glare.

"...You're Kanda Yuu, aren't you?" The redhead asked, his right hand clutching the leather-bound notebook in his pocket. Kanda seemed to be quite shocked.

"How did you know my name??"

"Well, you see, I think you dropped your recipe book or something," said Lavi brightly, pulling out the notebook and handing it to Kanda. "I saw your name written on the front page - "

"You mean you looked at it?!..."

"Um, yes? Or I wouldn't have known that it belonged to - _YOUUUUUUUUU!" _Lavi ducked as Kanda grabbed the notebook from him and raised his hands to strangle him. The guy was obviously outraged.

"Stupid rabbit! Do you know what is the meaning of _'invading someone's privacy'? _I was trying to find this book and here you are now, telling me that you_ read it!"_

Before Lavi could say anything, Kanda leapt forward and started chasing Lavi all around the school. They ran from the Sculpting room to the Visual Arts Theatre, and from there they ran off to the Music room. Finally, Lavi ran up to the rooftop and realized that he was cornered. He silently begged the gods to let Kanda's temper cool down quickly as the latter came up to him, panting and trying to gain his composure after running and shouting so much.

"Look - tell me something and I won't hit you. Did you read the book?"

"I saw some words, but I couldn't understand what they were! I thought it was a cookbook full of strange recipes written in codewords!"

"...don't lie, you stupid rabbit!"

"I'm serious!" Lavi slumped onto the floor, completely exhausted. He almost wished he had never picked up the book.

"...you'd better make sure you aren't lying, or I'll kill you," Kanda responded, just as the bell rang thrice, signalling the end of lunch break. Lavi gasped.

"Oh shit, your lunch!...you haven't eaten anything."

"...that's just fine. I don't need lunch," replied Kanda, folding his arms.

"But why? You need food to replenish your energy! At least a sports drink plus a sandwich or something if not a full meal!" Lavi protested.

"Can you just_ shut up, _rabbit?! You're fucking noisy!"

"No, I need to make sure you eat something!"

"I'm telling you, I don't need lunch!"

"Why? Is the food here not to your liking?" Lavi asked as Kanda started to walk away quickly, not wanting to respond.

"If you don't respond, I'll take it as a yes!" No response.

"And I'll do something to help you!" Still no response.

"I'll make sure you eat lunch everyday starting from tomorrow. You will love lunchtime after I give you my_ secret weapon!"_ By the time he had finished his sentence, Kanda had already disappeared. Lavi sighed deeply. What a stubborn guy. He obviously was hungry, yet he didn't want to admit it. His stomach was already growling; Lavi could hear it. Yet Kanda did not want to take lunch?...

Just as Lavi was about to make his way down from the rooftop, he heard Kanda's voice from the bottom of the stairs and the gradual fading of footsteps.

_"If you want your life, don't go to the Town Square tonight." _

Lavi froze. Was Kanda joking, or was he serious? After all, no one could really tell. Though it was highly possible that it was an empty threat or a scare, these words sparked of a flame of curiosity in Lavi's mind, burning on and on for the rest of the day.

Until night came.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three **

Kanda stormed into Tyki's office, carrying a small black backpack. He was irritated - extremely irritated. The day had not been smooth at all, in fact it had been full of hiccups. He had the urge to kill someone, and would be very happy if that person was none other than Tyki Mikk himself. As soon as he stepped into Tyki's office, he was met with an outburst of loud crackly noises and confetti dancing all around him.

"Good _eve-ning, _Kanda!" came Tyki's almost gleeful voice from the back of the room, "I was expecting you. How about those party goods? Aren't they _wonderful?" _

Kanda frowned. "...have you got nothing better to do?" he asked irritatedly.

"Oh yes, of course I have!" laughed the other party, waving his brown cigar in the air, "but today, Road sent me some of these party goods from the city, I couldn't just let them rot in my cupboard, don't you think? Besides, I predicted that someone would be unhappy today, and could use a little bit of cheering up..."

"..."

Tyki raised an eyebrow. "You fought with your dance instructor today, didn't you? You should know better that doing that is only going to give yourself a negative feedback from the teachers."

"..."

"And so, I heard that you had to move boxes in the Dance storeroom as punishment for today," finished Tyki, leaning back in his armchair.

"...that's none of your business," said Kanda.

"That's my business, as well as yours," corrected Tyki.

Kanda's lips twitched. "Uh-huh, so why am I in dance?" he asked bitterly, "I sent in an application for pastels and oils, and they agreed to take me in, so _why_ am I in that fucking class?"

"The Earl thinks you are better suited to be in dance, since you are so agile and flexible," replied Tyki, "and besides, you need to learn how to express yourself in a way besides shouting and yelling profanities - "

"I don't give a damn! Why is he even choosing which course I am to study? I don't want to study something I don't like..." Kanda mumbled.

"I think that you would be a dance hit if you had even bothered to_ try," _said Tyki, "and don't sulk in front of your superior."

"..." Kanda was boiling with rage. He could not, and was not going to dance, ever. It was lameness to the core. In the morning, the teacher had ordered him to put on a pair of tap shoes and start learning how to tap dance, but he had refused, and got into some kind of brawl with the teacher. Finally, her patience snapped and she had ordered him to move costumes and props at the back room. What a sickening bitch, he thought.

Tyki looked at Kanda's sour expression for moment, then sighed. "alright, alright. If you complete tonight's mission and bring me the _Morning Glory_, I will talk to the Earl about your course."

"...Like he'd listen to you," spat Kanda.

"Of course he would! After all, this is about my dear Kanda, is it not?" Tyki shot Kanda a flirtatious grin. The latter was disgusted.

"..._Go away." _

Tyki crossed his fingers in front of his face. "I see you're more energetic now that you've been completely charged," he said, "see? Skipping recharging sessions won't help you."

"..."

"Know what's good for you, Kanda, or you won't like the outcome."

"I'm going." Kanda turned to walk towards the windows of Tyki's office. He opened it and hopped onto the ledge.

"...Have a safe trip," said Tyki, smiling, as Kanda shot off into the darkness of the campus. He put down his cigar and sighed, reaching for the telephone on his desk. "Now, for tonight's supper..."

* * *

"Coffee for Table 12!"

It was busy night for the workers in _The Coffee Haven_. The snug little coffeehouse was bustling with activity as customers swarmed in to have a cup of heavenly black coffee. Tonight's business was especially good, as there was going to be a auction in the Town Square, with the North Country's Princess as a V.I.P. Many locals wanted to see the princess, and many rich merchants wanted to bid for the antiques and rare jewels on display. Being one of the coffeehouses just facing the Town Square, _The Coffee Haven _was indeed a convienient place for the people to rest and have a chat over a cup of coffee and perhaps a slice of dark chocolate cake.

Lavi groaned behind the counter as he lazily fixed a cup of home-made brew. He was clearly exhausted, yawning as he passed the cup to his fellow part-timer, Miranda. She looked at him, concerned.

"What's wrong, Lavi? Did you stay up all night to read novels again?"

"Nah, its just that today's workload is amazingly huge," he replied sullenly, "and its my turn to take out the trash..."

Miranda gave him a smile. "Cheer up already, Bak has agreed to let us go out to see the Auction once we're done with our duties..."

"I guess that's a bonus," said Lavi, "but I won't be going out tonight. Bak asked me to wash the plates today..." He looked at the pile of cups and plates piling up on the kitchen sink and sighed.

"Eh...do you need my help?"

"It's okay, go enjoy yourself. Now, go deliver the coffee!"

"Oh yes, right away!!"

As Miranda whizzed off to deliver the cup of coffee to the customer, almost knocking into a table in the process, Lavi gave another sigh. He could not stop thinking about what Kanda had said. The words had been rooted deep into his mind, and could not be uprooted no matter how much he tried to distract himself...

_"If you want your life, don't go to the Town Square tonight." _Well, if this was Kanda's idea of a joke, it was a really bad one, thought Lavi as he stirred a cup of warm frothy chocolate.

Meanwhile, at the back alley of _The Coffee Haven_, two masked figures shrouded in darkness crept up the wall and crouched down. They emptied the contents of their bags onto the floor got down to business.

"...Are you sure it'll work?"

"Shut up, Daisya. I told you I've tested it already."

"I don't think raw jade can be mixed with_ Poison's Apple, _you know."

"Just shut up and watch,"said Kanda irritatedly as he held up a black coloured apple in his right hand, "this will solve our problem." He drew a small circle on the ground with a piece of yellow chalk, then put the black apple and a few pieces of smashed jade bits inside it.

_"Release," _he muttered, putting his hand in front of the circle. Within seconds, small burst of light filled the back of the alley and when it finally faded, there was nothing left in the circle but a small grenade. Daisya stared.

"How did you do that?" he asked, picking up the grenade, "_Poison's Apple _cannot be fused with anything but Rose petals - "

"Check which circle you are using," answered Kanda, rubbing away the chalk marks from the ground, "Now throw this at the crowd, we'll be able to finish the mission faster this way."

"Geez, Kanda, I don't know why you didn't apply for Chemistry. Your alchemy is so much better than mine."

"It's precisely because I _suck_ at Chemistry, dumbass," replied Kanda, standing up and dusting his pants, "Chemistry is as boring as hell. Besides, this is _Forbidden Alchemy, _not normal alchemy. I'd prefer fusing a Rosette Leaf with mud over fusing some stupid element from the periodic table any day. Now cut your crap and get cracking."

"What's the difference anyway," muttered Daisya as he jumped onto the rooftop of one of the shophouses just beside the Town Square, "oh, look. The Princess is here with her bodyguards."

He was right. The Princess of the North Country had arrived, donned in her flamboyant dress and silver tiara. Alongside her were about sixty bodyguards dressed in full military attire, carrying small black pistols. She went to the cushioned mini-throne in the middle of the stage and sat down elegantly.

"They really gotta be kidding, sixty bodyguards for a princess is like - wow."

"This is auction night, Daisya. Besides, a King has even more bodyguards ... Now, where's the _Morning Glory?"_

The_ Morning Glory _was a purple crystal pendant with the ability to possess souls. The Earl had heard about it, and immediately gave an order for it to be stolen from the Auction. No local person knew about the power of a simple crystal necklace, and if misused by some scum, there would be quite a disaster in the little town. Therefore, the Earl wanted to extract the power from the necklace first, before destroying it.

"...The Princess is wearing it," said Daisya, pointing at the Princess. Indeed, there was a beautiful Purple crystal necklace hanging from her neck.

"Great," Kanda grabbed his sword from his sidebelt, "now, throw the bomb at that pissy-looking pile of mud over there..." He smirked at the head officer of the Auction, who was having a small chat with a Jewel Merchant, "tighten your mask, and we can begin."

"Aye aye, sir."

* * *

Somehow, Lavi had been dragged into the Town Square to join in the excitement of the auction by the ladyboss of _The Coffee Haven, _Fou. She was the one who had forced Bak to wash the plates and let the employees go out for a breath of fresh air.

"How cruel of that stupid Bak," she said as she pulled Lavi out of the coffeehouse, "as the boss he should let the employees take a break after all that work!"

"Don't blame him, Fou," said Lavi, "after all, I'm the one who's on duty today for cleanup."

"You shouldn't say that! After all, it's nice to bully him, isn't it?" Fou smiled evilly, "hey, that's the Princess isn't it? She looks so different in person! I've seen her in photographs but hey, this is the real her..."

Lavi smiled weakly. He scanned his surroundings slowly, trying to lookout for any suspicious character. Nope, there wasn't anyone who looked suspicious enough to be classified as a killer. Was there a hidden machine gun somewhere then? Or was Kanda just giving an empty threat?

Yes, that must be it. The rude guy must have been so pissed that he had babbled some rubbish to piss Lavi off. Yes! That must be it -

All of a sudden, a large explosion rocked the place, sending dozens of people flying and running away from the scene. A thick cloud of smoke covered the Town Square, making it quite impossible to see anyone or anything. Lavi coughed at the smell of the smoke; it smelled like rotten apples mixed with curry gone bad. Panic started to tug at his heartstrings as he remembered what Kanda had said.

_"If you want your life, don't go to the Town Square tonight." _

Oh shit! What that guy had said might just be true. It seemed like an assasination attempt by someone to Lavi, this situation. He felt Fou's hand tug at him, pulling him away from the scene. Stumbling through the mess, he ran aimlessly, trying to find some shelter. The smoke was clearing already, thanks to a small gust of wind; he could see Fou's head in front of him, as well as some other people -

Suddenly, Lavi tripped over a fallen chair and fell over. He let go of Fou's hand, making Fou turn back to look, but she was dragged away a police officer who happened to see her.

"Lavi!" she yelled frantically.

The redhead groaned in pain as he tried to pick himself up, realizing that he was currently sitting on a pile of jewels meant for the auction. He picked up an aqua necklace, feeling dazed. What was he doing on top of all these treasures? While he fingered the precious necklace, a big, burly man came up to him and yanked his hair hard.

"What are you doing, sitting on these jewels? Were you planning to steal them?" he asked in a deep, unpleasant voice. Lavi gulped. Guards were really idiots when it came to inferring.

"I was - uh, I just - fell down, you know - " he made a peace sign in an attempt to prove that he was not an enemy, but the burly man did not seem to accept it. He promptly pulled out a pair of handcuffs and advanced towards Lavi, who felt his legs go numb.

"Hey, you're seriously mistaken! I'm not a bad guy! I was dragged out here by my ladyboss and yeah that's seriously it! Hey, hey wait - ! "

No sooner had the man grabbed Lavi's wrist, he was struck on the back hard with the back of a sword. The man gave a yowl and loosened his grip, allowing Lavi shake off his hand. He felt a hand grab his hand and pull him up. Looking up, he saw a blurry vision of a figure dressed in black.

"Get up or you'll really die!" spat the figure he helped the redhead up and started to run the other away. Lavi was stunned for a moment, but his legs started moving all the same. It was like he had heard this voice somewhere, but he couldn't remember just where... Who was it who had such a voice like that?

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

At that moment, he heard a series of gunshots and felt the other party push him aside. He fell into a small, deserted alleyway as he heard a small gasp. The person dressed in black stumbled next to him and pressed him against the wall, holding his breath as heavy footsteps passed the both of them. After a few moments, Lavi heaved a sigh of relief.

"...I guess they're gone," he said, wiping his sweaty forehead and turning to face his saviour, "thank you for helping me escape those people - "

He was cut short by the sight of a small pool of blood gathering on the floor as the person beside him closed his eyes, as if trying to ward off the feeling of pain in his left leg. Lavi examined the wound carefully - there was a large bullet embedded in the cloth and flesh.

"H-hey, you're bleeding!" exclaimed Lavi, panicking yet again. He stood up and attempted to carry the injured person, who struggled in response, despite his injury.

"Hey! What are you doing!?"

"I'm going to take you to the doctor's!" replied Lavi, only to be hit hard by the person in the face. The person wriggled out of Lavi's arms and started limping away as fast as he could. Lavi tried to give chase, but that guy was somehow faster than him even though injured. In a flash, he climbed up the wall and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

* * *

It was already 3am in the morning.

Kanda woke up, feeling a certain numbness in his left leg and grogginess in his head. He was lying on one of the beds in the school hospital, and it seemed like he was the only one in there...save for a certain Portuguese man who was eating a chicken wing in front of him.

"Ah, you're finally awake," said Tyki as he munched on the fried chicken wing, "you really had me worried there. Want a chicken wing?"

"You can't eat fried food in the hospital. Besides, how did I get here?..."

"Daisya found you lying on the grass outside, somewhere near the graveyard," replied Tyki, "with your leg shot. So he brought you back to the Academy."

"...!!! The pendant - " Kanda's eyes widened suddenly as he remembered the Morning Glory. He had retrieved it already, but where was it?...

Tyki held up his free hand. "Relax, kiddo," he said gently, "Daisya gave it to us already. It was in your zipper pocket."

"...oh." Satisfied, Kanda relaxed on his pillow and let out a sigh of relief. Tyki eyed him for a moment, then put the chicken bones back into the fast food box.

"You had better stay here until you're fully recovered," he said sternly, "avoid seafood and don't walk around too much until the nurses say you can do so. You were hit by a poisoned bullet, and the poison's affected your movements and health level. You need to recuperate well for at least a month."

"..."

"I'll come to visit you, no worries," said Tyki, pulling out a party popper from his pocket and pulling the string. POP!

"I don't need it," said Kanda simply.

"Don't be shy, Kanda," Tyki pulled out another chicken wing from the box, but nearly dropped it after seeing the Head Nurse enter the room. She gasped and screamed at him.

_"University Head Mikk! _No fried food is allowed in the school hospital. Besides, fried food is unhealthy stuff. Get them out of here at once!"

Tyki cursed under his breath, grabbed his supper and ran for his dear life as the Head Nurse brandished a feather duster and ran after him. Kanda watched all this in silence. He sighed - some things and some people would just never change. Tyki's habit of eating fried chicken wings and fried fish fingers with salsa late in the night would never change either, he thought. Slowly, his hand made its way to his chest, where his heart was situated. He pressed the hand on it gently. There was no heartbeat.

It felt empty.


End file.
